Sir Purr
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- Mar 16, 2019
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"What we're trying to do is we're trying to build a team," Rhule said. "We're trying to build an offense and a defense, and not mortgage the future for maybe like one player. Look at the history of trading up. Is it good, is it bad, everyone has to decide that? So we recognize that quarterback play is really important, but . . . I still want to be better on defense, I still want to be better on the offensive line, I still want to be better in the passing game. It's a hot topic at a lot of different places, but when you go back and look at Super Bowl winners and Super Bowl participants, a lot of different quarterbacks have taken teams to that place that is our ultimate goal.
"So it always makes me say to myself, coach Parcells was right, one guy can't do it. You have to build a team and put resources around those quarterbacks to be successful."
The economic and draft capital investment in Darnold's a reasonable one, which comes during an active offseason in which the Panthers made some aggressive moves to fill holes on both sides of the ball. They added offensive line depth early in free agency (though, as Rhule mentioned, that remains a priority), and stacked up a collection of interesting parts on defense, including pass-rusher Haason Reddick, cornerback A.J. Bouye, linebacker Denzel Perryman and others.
Rhule mentioned that with those holes filled, they'll have a flexibility come draft weekend to use their top pick on the best player available.
In a perfect world, Rhule wouldn't be presiding over top 10 picks often, so he said it was important to find the best player possible rather than worrying about needs.
Rhule has some background with Darnold, as the two spoke by videoconference when Rhule interviewed for the Jets' head coaching job in 2019. But that was a brief conversation, and the two met face-to-face for the first time Monday. What convinced Rhule that Darnold would work here was a look back at his tape. Before making the deal, the Panthers went back and looked at three years of Darnold's work, and Rhule came away convinced that there was still development to be done.